Pointers and their uses

In this chapter we take a look at pointers and some of their most important uses. Although you may be able to avoid many of the more esoteric uses of pointers with C++ you cannot avoid them altogether. Pointers can be very useful tools provided they are used with care and it is important that you are aware of the range of tools available, just as when using a hammer you choose the correct one for the job — hopefully you will not use a sledge hammer to knock a nail into a wall — otherwise you will have a much larger hole than you intended.